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NCAAF Picks

NCAA Football Picks: Back East Carolina -2.5 vs. Cincinnati

East Carolina has done a tremendous job bouncing back after a loss in recent years, which makes it a playable road favorite against Cincinnati Thursday night.

Returning to Action
East Carolina is bowl eligible for the eighth time in nine years, which is important to consider when making your Week 12 College Football Picks, as it looks to bounce back from a disappointing 20-10 setback to Temple as 9.5-point road favorites on Nov. 1.

The Pirates have won 21 of their last 23 games when scoring 30 or more points—a number that is reachable in facing a stop unit that’s surrendering 29.8 points a contest in 2014. Over the last two-plus seasons, the program is 6-2 SU and 2-6 ATS as road favorites, with the UNDER going 5-3 in that situation.

New Surroundings
Cincinnati is coming off a much needed bye wee after playing eight-straight games, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NCAA Football Betting Odds, but the squad is playing its home games at Paul Brown Stadium rather than Nippert Stadium this year.

The Bearcats have won 79 games over the last eight years—the most among current American Athletic Conference members over that span. Since the start of the 2012 campaign, the team is 2-5 SU and 2-4-1 ATS as underdogs, with the OVER cashing in five of those seven opportunities.

Keys to the Game
The Pirates have won eight of their last 12 road contests dating back to 2012, but they’ll need to do a better job of holding onto the football in this AAC matchup, as they rank 110th in the country in turnover margin.

East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden is a dynamic player offensively, which is one of the main reasons why the squad has outscored opponents by a 83-31 margin in the final quarter, including a 41-0 advantage versus conference foes.

Cashing In
The Bearcats are 28-of-31 in the red zone this season, with the three non scores coming on two kneel downs and a missed field goal.

Cincinnati has the ability to utilize two different signal-callers, with Gunner Kiel throwing a league-leading 20 touchdowns in seven games, while Munchie Legaux has proven capable off the bench in a pair of wins.

Prediction
I’m going to recommend that readers back the Pirates as one of their top College Football picks, as the Pirates are 11-0 ATS in their last 11 games following a loss, while the Bearcats are 2-5 ATS following a bye week.